Incomparable knowledge, deviant morality, and privileged violence areaspects of American exceptionalism commonly found in genre fiction.The violent idealism of Hammett and Chandler's hard-boiled detectivesdefines standards of normative morality and moments of cultural crisisin American cities. The Western outlaw and similar Americananti-heroes figure the ethical margin and marginal ethics of thenation and nation-building at the borders of civilized space. Thefiction of American exceptionalism depicts violence upon bodies, asthey are made present or absent in cities, the American frontier, andother spaces of contested representation.

This panel interrogates the literary depictions and social dimensionsof American exceptionalism, specifically as it constitutes the groundsof literary genre conventions, hierarchies of legitimate andillegitimate identities, and the logics of nation formation. Papersare welcome on popular depictions of the exceptional American-- suchas the hardboiled detective, frontier hero, and any similar figures ofsuperior knowledge, morality, or violence-- in fiction, film,television, comics, or other media. Papers should engage issues ofgenre, identity (ethnicity, race, class, gender, sexuality), orcultural significance.